A New Library Services Platform Being Installed in the Library of Vilniaus Kolegija / Higher Education Institution
More than 40 country’s education and research institutions are beginning to implement a new generation library services platform, consisting of the Alma and Primo VE library products from the international company “Ex Libris,” announced Vilnius University (VU).
“The new library services platform will provide the Lithuanian academic community with new opportunities on a national scale to create a common electronic catalogue of academic libraries with more than 2 million bibliographic records, as well as collaborate globally and exchange freely accessible data with the Alma and Primo VE community, which consists of more than 2380 libraries worldwide,” says Arūnas Stašionis, the Head of the Information Technology Service Centre at VU.
According to A. Stašionis, who is the authorized representative for data management of the Lithuanian Academic Electronic Library (eLABa) information system, the new platform will make it easier to use through a user interface tailored for mobile devices, facilitate the administration of electronic publications, and apply widely adopted information management protocols and standards.
As stated in the announcement, the new library products will be implemented in institutions over two years. The purchase of the platform is carried out by Vilnius University (VU), financed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, and the project is being implemented following the 2021–2024 Action Plan for the Development of the Lithuanian Science and Studies Information Infrastructure.
The Head of the VIKO Library, K. Blaževičienė, noted that “the ongoing implementation of the Alma library information system is a complex and lengthy process, encompassing planning, configuration, data migration, testing, and training. Undoubtedly, this process poses many additional challenges, as responsible VIKO library employees have to dedicate a lot of time to learning, system configuration, data migration, testing, while at the same time performing their direct daily job functions. However, it is an investment in the efficiency of VIKO library activities and the quality of services in the future. The system allows the library to efficiently organize and manage its resources, perform data analysis and statistics, monitor resource usage, identify trends, and make strategic decisions. Alma has much broader capabilities for managing electronic resources, including licensing, monitoring, using, and accessing electronic books, journals, databases, and other electronic resources. While the advantages of the system are mostly related to internal library management, it will directly affect and improve the user experience – the Alma library information system will provide VIKO library users with a faster search experience, a wider selection of resources, and convenient interfaces, making it easier for them to find and use library resources.”